Videos shed light on eating disorders

A series of informational videos on eating disorders diagnosis, management and treatment has been launched by Shared Care, featuring experts from B.C. Children’s Hospital.

The videos are available to families and health providers across the province. You can access the videos online at sharedcarebc.ca.

The seven videos feature experts from the Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders program, located at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, giving presentations about the medical assessment and management, various therapies, meal support and more.

Eating disorders (ED) affect 1.5 per cent of young women age 15 to 24 in B.C. In recent years, rates of EDs have been increasing in men, too.

EDs are the deadliest of all mental health concerns, with up to 15 per cent of those with the diagnosis eventually dying directly from the disorder.

The videos are being released province-wide to help spread the knowledge more widely to other regions that may struggle with how to provide up-to-date and effective treatment in B.C.’s more rural and remote locations.

“We are thrilled to be able to make these videos available. It is important to us to share the knowledge and expertise of our specialized staff with families and health care providers across all of BC, particularly in communities that may not have easy access to this information,” said Sarah Bell, provincial executive director, Mental Health and Concurrent Disorders Services at B.C. Children’s Hospital.